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Wednesday, 11 April 2018

Wednesday Snippet - Wherever she'd been, it wasn't their realm.

Happy mid-week! I hope you're all having the week you want, that your tea is hot and your favourite snacks are at hand. I've been neglecting Chaos Songs a little lately, which I've talked about a bit, but I thought I'd share a snippet anyway. Real life is calming down and balancing out again, which is good for me and hopefully good for my writing too. I have been kinda distracted by a couple of other projects, but in the spirit of the Year of the Kappa, I need to adjust and adapt and allow for that.

So! Let's catch up with Lola, shall we?

She
lay in silence, listening. It took her a few minutes to realise what
she was listening for. That music. That soul-rending sound. It seemed
impossible that something so poignant and powerful could have only
existed in her head. She didn't think she was that creative. And she
didn't think it had been the patrons. Wherever she'd been, it wasn't
their realm.

There
was nothing to hear now, though. Disappointment seeped into her.
Maybe if she slept again...

But
the door creaked open again, and Tristesse swept in with a tray.
Steam rose off the bowl balanced there, and Lola inhaled the fragrant
scent of fresh herbs and rich meat, accompanied by the irresistible
aroma of warm bread. The smells were like a punch to the gut,
sparking a sudden, ferocious hunger in her. She forgot everything
else as she struggled to sit up again.

"Slowly,"
Tristesse said, perching on the side of the bed. "I will not
clean up if you're sick."

Lola
didn't have much choice but to go slowly. Her muscles screamed in
protest at every movement and bright points of light flashed in her
eyes as she sat up. She couldn't say she was used to the sickness
that came with chaos magic yet – it felt like it hit her in new and
more awful ways every time – but she was resigned to it. It was
never quite as bad as repaying the patrons, anyway.

Her
stomach churned at the thought, her hunger dying abruptly. She pushed
the bowl of stew away when Tristesse offered it. Shit. She really had
been out of it if she'd managed to forget that. She drew her knees up
to her chest and rested her head on them with a groan. They weren't
calling yet, but they would, and she wasn't sure she had anything to
give them.

Lola
couldn't deny that. She uncurled herself and took the food. "What
happened to Gulnara and Rags?" she asked as she picked at the
stew. It was delicious, but she knew Tristesse really wouldn't clean
up if she was sick, and she definitely didn't want to do it herself.
"Did I pull them along?"

"Mmm.
And the Guard, too." Tristesse helped herself to a piece of
bread. "Oh don't worry. Gulnara took care of him very
efficiently. But I fear he won't be the last."

"Do
you think they found Sonneillion?" Lola asked, her scars
burning.

Tristesse
shook her head. "I think they found one of the demons I freed.
What is it you humans say? No good deed goes unpunished." She
dunked her bread in the stew and smiled sourly. "Still, it will
take the rest of the Guards sometime to track us here. Time enough
for you to recover and for us to plan our next move."